Boomstick

^9. Great pitch control and controlled vibrato. I recently found this great Jeff Beck cover that blew me away so I thought I'd share:

A MH/F rod that is rated for 10-20lbs loaded with 40lb braid is gonna be the way to go for both of those lures if you absolutely have to have one rod for both, but if you can afford a higher end rod you would be better off spending half as much on a M/F and running like 10lb mono/flurocarbon with that one and a H/F rod and run that with 50-65lb braid so you're ready to throw in the thickest of weeds. Something like a St Croix Mojo Bass Jigs and Bait rod (7'1"), Dobyns Sierra 704C, or Daiwa Tatula (6'10" or 7'1"). I threw frogs on my 6'10" MH/F Tatula for a couple of years before buying a proper heavy rod for last year and it was fine as long as I avoided the heaviest of cover. I would also be interested in the 7'2" MH/F Shimano Zodias which should be a little heavier in action, which makes an all-around solid jig rod (except again in really thick cover). The Megabass that fishwizzard posted should be should be fairly similar as well.

Spinnerbait, chatterbait or swim jig. Largely easy to fish and fairly weedless, where other straight retrieve lures like crankbaits aren't. Also a keitech on a beast hook works pretty well too.

Yeah, I couldn't find anything either. I bought a handful of Megabass cranks and poppers last year though and fortunately I only lost one.

How cold are we talking? When the water gets down to 50-55, I fish a lot of small poppers!

I have been working on my Tackle Warehouse wishlist for a while now. I don't need too much this year -- that is after almost $500 of tackle (post discount) and 3 rods and one reel for another $500. Since I'm pretty well stocked on tackle, here is my checklist Replacement lures for lures that I liked and lost. Few crankbaits Whopper Ploppers (lost a fair share Soft plastic replenishment Terminal tackle replenishment This year I just need new hooks. New line as needed (in my case new mono for all the reels I run mono on) Backup lures Jigs (since I fish them often around rocks and heavy cover and lose them a lot) Berkley Cutter Shallow 90 Jerkbait -- since this is my favorite shallow water jerkbait, that means I lose them New colorado blade spinnerbaits -- mine from last year are pretty beat up I plan on getting a few new rods and reels this year too. Daiwa Tatula 7'1" MH/F rod - will use with my current reels just another rod to have in the mix. I have the older split grip 6'10" MH/F Tatula as well which I love for soft plastics but there are times I wish I had a slightly longer MH/F rod. St Croix Mojo Glass rod either the 6'10" or 7'2" for my youngest son who loves cranks Daiwa Tatula CT Type-R 6.3:1 for the above rod Dobyns Sierra 703C for my oldest son for whopper ploppers, weightless plastics and crankbaits Shimano Curado 200k 7.3:1

The St. Croix Mojo Bass's are pretty light and should run $104 on Tackle Warehouse's 20% off Black Friday sale, can't go wrong there.

I once saw a video of a bass that got caught and was pooping out a senko, so that can happen but I am not sure what normally happens.

Oh I did not. I will have to go watch that one when I get the chance. EDIT: Do you happen to have a link to the video? I'm having trouble finding it.

Nice! I'm always up to talk guitar too

Here's what I have found out that I like on my reels: 7.1:1 casting reel for frogs and jigs in heavy cover: 50-65lb braid 7.1:1 casting reel for trigs in covr, jigs in lighter cover, spinerbaits or chatterbaits in cover: 17lb flurocarbon 6.3:1 casting reel for trigs, spinnerbaits or crankbaits in thicker grass: 15lb flurocarbon 6.3:1 casting reel for crankbaits and jerkbaits: 12lb flurocarbon although I will be using 10lb next year 7.1:1 casting reel for poppers and jerkbaits: 12lb mono spinning reel for finesse: 12lb braid with a 6lb leader.

Bassresource also has helpful videos as well, and I also follow CatfishAndCarp for catfishing tips and entertainment. Every now and then I'll find some useful stuff on other channels too like Brian Latimer's and MilikenFishing among others. I can watch Bamabass's topwater blowups all day long!

Oh jeez that's rough! Wishing you a speedy recovery

Since I don't yet own a boat and have no electronics to search the lake, I will browse depth charts of the lake and try find out where weedy areas area that might provide cover especially in the hotter summer days. Google maps will often show weedy areas from the overhead view. One example of my process for finding a fishing spot was on a lake where I camped last summer that has an absence of weeds and the docks are fairly spread out and in the summer can be quite difficult. There's plenty of shore access, but I had planned to rent a boat but unfortunately due to the threat of thunderstorms, they were not renting. Prior to my trip I pulled up a depth chart and found a crevice that runs alongside a channel to the northwest and the northern part of the lake not too far from the campsite. This is what would be called prime structure in the lake -- where the big bass will likely hang out, and that also means that the eastern (and sometimes northern) wall of the crevice along the shoreline is a steep slope. I normally opt for docks or weedy areas but my plan of attack was to throw a jig down the eastern wall of the crevice and see if I can get a couple. I think this is a better example due to the lack of visible structure on the topside of the lake, so I was using bottom structure, almost like smallmouth fishing. Of course every now and then I will see something that will change my plan, or maybe get a hit or two in an area on the way to a location that will change my plan or at least add another location of interest along the way, but that's my intent. And I'm pretty sure if they rented me the boat I may have got a few as well.

It's a little colder here -- and my youngest son plays travel hockey which takes up most of my time. So it's pretty difficult to get any fishing once games begin. Wednesday is supposed to be 63 or 64 degrees however (as of last week it was supposed to be in the 40s) so I may give it one more shot.

Yesterday was a pleasant 64 degree day, so after work I headed down to the lake for what is likely my last bass fishing of the 2019 season. Almost nobody was at the spot I was fishing which is normally pretty busy, and nobody was on my side of the causeway. I can honestly say that I enjoyed the quiet. When I got there, the water was quite choppy so I decided to throw a spinnerbait. I have been fishing a lot of crankbaits, jerbaits and spoons at the same location, and never actually caught a fish in that entire lake on a spinnerbait, but the choppy water said spinnerbait. So I rigged up a dual colorado blade spinnerbait (perfect for this time of year) along with a crankbait and a larger popper for backup. I would normally prefer a smaller popper this time of year, but they don't make enough profile in choppier water. I started off fishing all three lures along the end of the causeway and was not getting hit. Eventually, I grabbed the spinnerbait and threw it along the wall along the bank and a maybe one and a half pound largemouth hit it. A little while later, I moved further down and was not getting anything. Eventually I realized that when I got the fish I threw it right along the cement wall, where I was casting a few feet out and not getting hit. Sure enough, the fish were holed up alongside the wall sort of like fishing for smallmouth but they were not chasing too far out, but they will hit it if it goes right by them. Next fish I got a one pounder, and a little while later I lost a big one, think I set the hook too soon. I really wanted the tri-fecta, but what a great way to end the year.

In those temps, I would fish shallow all day long, the fish are likely active and that's just my preference anyway. Here, the nights get into the 30s and most days are in the 50s with a few being above 60. Fish are starting to go deep, but some hang out shallow as well. That said, at the reservoir you should be able to to fish shallow and move to deeper water if that isn't working.

Hello and welcome to the forums

You should be able to get a Daiwa Tatula CT for under $100 on ebay. Great reel with great brakes. 6.3:1 is my choice for year-round spinnerbaits but 7.1:1 is fine as well. If you are willing to spend a little more, the Tatula 150 or 200 may be worth it as they are designed to throw heavier lures.

I wish I had a picture of the tiny one I caught this past summer. I wish fishing for panfish with panfish magnets and I was actually getting a hit every cast but having a hard time landing them through the weeds. One that I did land was a tiny bass, roughly the size of a 3" pre-rigged swimbait. I went back to shore and got the bass gear, and stopped getting bit

It depends on the day, weather, how much they're biting. Last Saturday was cold so I gave it 2-3 hours and called it quits. In the hot summer, I often show up late and fish late when it cools off. Earlier in the year, it may be a day trip.

My most productive shallow jerkbait this year has been the Berkley Cutter Shallow 90+, the yellow perch color specifically. The hooks aren't the best but the bait has a fantastic action and remains fairly high in the water column. I also have a handful Strike Kings, Rapalas and Lucky Craft Flash Pointers (which are my #2s). If the water is more than mildly muddy, I would throw a crankbait, spinnerbait or chatterbait instead, but in clear water you're good pretty much all year round.

I fish spinnerbaits quite a bit so I would be up for that if you do. They were about my most productive lure in years past but this year they don't seem to want to hit them (although I got a few).

Great post, it probably should be pinned there's a ton of great info here

My temps are cooler than yours as most days are in the mid or lower 50s, but if I get a day in the 60s they usually chase -- squarebills and spinnerbaits are usually a good bet on those days. But I would be fishing baits like jigs, drop shots and ned rigs pretty heavily at this time of year. Poppers and jerkbaits can also be quite effective.